To invest in leveraged ETFs or inverse products You must complete the pre-training at the Financial Investment Education Institute.You must do so. This is because, in order to protect individual investors, regulations require that such high-risk products be traded only after completing the required education. Since the entire process, from education to brokerage registration, can be more complex than expected, I will break it down step-by-step in this article.
In particular, with the listing of new 2x leverage ETFs targeting single stocks like Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix in May of this year, educational requirements have become more detailed. The courses required differ depending on whether the investor is new or existing, and registration methods vary slightly from one brokerage firm to another.
Why is leverage education essential?
Derivatives such as leverage and inverse ETFs have much higher volatility than regular stocks. Trading these products without understanding their structure and risks can easily lead to unexpected losses. For this reason, financial supervisory authorities have mandated pre-trading education.
In fact, without training, buy orders are completely blocked on brokerage apps.. No matter how much money you have, you cannot survive even a single week without proof of educational completion.
Education requirements for new and existing investors
If you are investing in leveraged products for the first time, total 2 hours of trainingYou must take the courses. The basic domestic and international leverage course is 1 hour long, and the advanced single-stock leverage course is 1 hour long. The tuition fee is 4,000 won per course, totaling 8,000 won.
On the other hand, if you already have experience investing in index-linked leverage (KOSPI 2X, NASDAQ 3X, etc.), you only need to take an additional one-hour course on single-stock leverage. However, since the exemption criteria for existing investors vary slightly by brokerage firm, it is safer to check your app in advance.
Single-stock leverage products were newly listed on May 27, and as a result, the demand for education surged, causing a load on the education center's servers.
From registration to completion at the Financial Investment Education Center
First, sign up on the Financial Investment Education Institute website, find the course you want, and apply. It is recommended to use a credit or debit card when paying the tuition. With bank transfers, the cancellation fee is reduced if you cancel later.
Course registration and payment are done via a PC web browser (Chrome or Edge recommended).It is more stable to proceed on [the platform]. Several investors pointed out that the mobile app may experience system errors. However, lecture videos can also be viewed on mobile.
After watching all the lectures, quizzes appear intermittently. The quiz is automatically processed as completed the moment the progress rate reaches 100%, regardless of whether the answers are correct.. Therefore, you don't need to feel pressured to match it perfectly.
After registering for the course Complete all lectures within 30 daysYou have to do it. If you don't have much time, it is best to make a plan in advance.
| securities firm | App name | Registration path |
|---|---|---|
| Kiwoom Securities | Hero's Gate S# | Domestic Stocks → Domestic Stock Services → Leverage ETF Training Registration |
| Samsung Securities | mPOP | Customer Center → Application/Change → Terms/Agreement → Derivative ETF/ETP Trading Application |
| Mirae Asset Securities | M-STOCK | Menu → Get Ready → Apply for Service → Register for Leveraged ETF/ETN Training |
| Korea Investment & Securities | – | Menu → Customer Center → Application/Change |
| KB Securities | M-able | Menu → Assets & Banking → Application/Change → Transaction Application |
Register with a securities firm after securing the 14-digit completion number
Upon completing all lectures, you will receive a unique 14-digit completion number. You must have this number to register with a securities firm and actually trade products. You will receive the certificate via email, and you can also verify it on the website.
Now, simply open your brokerage app, locate the leverage training registration menu, and enter your completion number. The menu location varies slightly depending on the brokerage firm. For Kiwoom Securities (Youngwoongmun S#), it is located at 'Domestic Stocks → Domestic Stock Services → Leverage ETF Training Registration'; for Samsung Securities (mPOP), it is at 'Customer Center → Application/Change → Terms/Agreement → Derivative ETF/ETP Trading Application'; and for Mirae Asset Securities (M-STOCK), the path is 'Menu → Prepare → Apply for Service'.
Once registration is complete, buy orders for leveraged products are activated in the app. You can start trading from that moment.
Things you must take care of besides completing the training
Completing the education alone is not enough. In the account Minimum basic deposit of 10 million won or moreThis is required to purchase leveraged products. It can be satisfied by depositing cash or using collateral securities. Do not forget that education and the initial deposit are completely separate requirements.
In addition, the name registered with the Financial Investment Education Institute must exactly match the name on the brokerage account. This means that if you plan to invest on behalf of a parent or spouse, you must complete the education separately under that person's name.
The true risk of leveraged products lies in the complexity of their structure. A "negative compounding" phenomenon occurs, where losses accumulate over time even if the index moves sideways, and rollover costs and discrepancies arise at every futures expiration.
In particular, products such as 2x leveraged single-stock tech funds or overseas TQQQs exhibit extreme volatility. For instance, if a stock rises by 2.51 TP3T, this product rises by 51 TP3T. Conversely, this means that when the price falls, it drops even more significantly. Therefore, psychological preparation must be completely different when aiming for profits compared to when preparing for losses.
Final checks before registration
It takes about a week from applying for the training to registering with a brokerage firm. However, it may take a little longer during periods of server overload, so be sure to prepare well in advance.
If the course name or registration path differs from the above, it is safest to check the latest information directly on the Korea Financial Investment Education Institute and your brokerage app. Financial regulations are also frequently updated.